So I have asked for a 6-month leave from my permanent job in my country and got a 2-year GTV to come to the UK to see if this route of immigration is really worth it. I am married and have a child but I have not applied for their visas yet. Also, I was lucky I found a job in my own profession as a scientist from day 1. Today marks 4 months I have been here. However, I want to share with you my opinion and thoughts about this route of immigration:
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my first thought is that I think the UK GTV is too expensive and people should avoid it as much as they can, unless they have money and want to invest for some time until it pays off.
I'll give you an example: a colleague of mine has a sponsorship visa. His visa and health fees are completely covered by the institute for up to 3 years. The only thing that he should pay on his own is the application fees for his wife and child, which I have a feeling will be less than mine. The only difference between my route and his? I have not noticed anything yet.
It is true that I can switch jobs (Royal Society told me I don't even need to inform them), but he can also get another sponsorship job. Unless you have money, it is difficult to remain jobless in this country. It is kind of paycheck to paycheck in this country.
- Your dependents must pay same initial visa and IHS fees as you.
This is what I didn't pay attention to when I was applying as my goal was to prepare documents to get my own visa first. I have paid an initial application and two years of IHS (~£608 + 2x~£680). My dependents must pay the same amount. This is bone-breaking if you are from a developing country and your currency is weaker compared to GBP.
I even contacted the UK visa office at
WorkNonSponsoredCasework@homeoffice.com, and asked them if my family's initial application can be shorter than mine, but they said it is not possible. They have to pay same amount as me. Excluding other costs (read below) a family of three need to invest at least £15000 on the GTV fee before being eligible for ILR.
- the extension fee is also £608 for each dependent
If you have money, it will make more sense to apply for a longer period. I made a mistake and applied only for 2 years. Four months have already passed, which means I need to apply in a year and pay same amount to extend. The extension fee is also £608. This is for each family member. Be hopeful they won't increase the IHS fees before extension.
- The Jus Soli law has changed. Your UK-born child will not get instant citizenship anymore.
If you are thinking about adding a new member to your family, think again. If you are under GTV, the child won't get citizenship. Consider application fee and other costs as well. It won't be cheap. Citizenship rule may change if you have ILR, I suppose, but I am not sure.
- England is generally too expensive, especially around London and suburbs.
I have been to the UK a lot. I even got my MSc degree from here 20 years ago. London has lots of entertainment. But at what cost? Is it worth it? I am not young anymore and have seen it all, so I'll pass.
Unless you have a particular reason for coming to the UK, e.g. joining family, I think avoid coming to the UK, and try other immigrant-accepting countries such as Canada, Australia or New Zealand.
I travel to Ottawa sometimes, and I think the ratio of income to the cost of life is much more reasonable. Toronto is more expensive, but still cheaper than London in my opinion.
Other UK cities, such as Nottingham, Newcastle or even Liverpool are cheaper. You can buy an apartment for just £100k there and rents are cheaper too. Try
www.rightmove.co.uk and see it for yourself. Unless you have no problem with different British accents you can try going there (Google different accents if you don't know what I am talking about). My child's accent is North American so the best I can do for him is bring him to London.
The majority of GTV applicants are from developing countries. Even if you want to come here and live in shared houses, you still need to invest and bring money with you. Since our currencies are too weak compared to GBP, this is a big challenge.
Also, you would need at least £2-4 k to buy a cheap and small used car. Add insurance to it. Also, take note that if you have international driving license, your insurance company will charge you more. For a provisional license, you need to pay ~£700, and will take nearly a year. You can't apply for local driving license if you have been here less than 180 days. Train, metro and bus are expensive too. Generally transport is expensive here. For a one-way Jubilee line I pay nearly ~£5.
- don't come here unless you have a job.
Living with family with an annual salary of £33000 is impossible. They will deduct so much tax from it. My colleague who is under sponsorship visa is earning same monthly salary, even-though I have paid IHS in advance. Unless you find a job with more than annual £45000, your wife should also work.
- Expenses I had no idea I had to pay
Landlords and real estate agents will push you to sign long contracts. The shortest contract you can find, especially if you are married and can't share houses, is a 1-year contract. But make sure to put a Break Clause less than that in your contract. The shortest Break Clause is usually 6 months. This means under any circumstances you have to pay the 6 months rent, even if you decide to leave the country after 3 months. If you don't they can take you to court, and this will disrupt your ILR process.
Let me give you another example, a real estate agent was trying to fool me with a 2-year contract with a Break Clause of 18 months. For a property with a monthly rent of £1300 this would mean £23000. This is too risky if you are a postdoc under a short term job contract. If you find another job in a different location you have to pay the 18 months rent in full before you can leave.
It is true that there are more job opportunities in the UK compared to other migrant-accepting countries, but the competition is tighter too. Don't expect to find a job immediately after your current job contract finishes.
- ILR rules are different based on endorsing body
If your goal is to stay here long enough to get ILR (same as PR I suppose), then apply for an initial 3-4 year GTV. However, I have heard Tech-Nation GTV holders must stay longer (5 years) to get ILR. I am still unsure if we need to extend our GTV status after receiving ILR. I am also unsure if we need to work in our own field of expertise (the one we got endorsed with) to be eligible for ILR, or doing other jobs can also get us an ILR in 3 years? I think no GTV holder has received ILR yet because GTV has been introduced recently. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
Bottom line, I am unsure I want to stay here, honestly. Although the UK is suffering from expert and worker shortages, I think GTV is all about the money. They don't care you are a professor or expert in your field of science. Instead of welcoming you, they crush you with expenses.....but you chose wisely.
